The Miss Seal Beach Pageant was done. Held March 9, Clare Draskovich, 17, won the title and took over the reign from Jessica Jenkins. The tiaras came down and the work was about to begin.
The Miss Seal Beach organization does not let the participants sit on their laurels. It is an honor that comes with responsibility, to one’s community and the members of the Miss Seal Beach Court themselves. Their year serving on the court comes with many duties, bound to make them the best of what the seaside city has to offer. In addition to a constant stream of community appearances, there are monthly visits to Ronald McDonald House to meet with and engage youthful cancer patients and their families hoping to cope with the looming specter of forever sorrow, fighting for a chance at a normal life.
But that could wait for a little while. It was time to celebrate their courage, their new friendships and the sistership they will never forget. It was time for the caper. Midnight was the time for the raid.
Yes. It was the start of a new Miss Seal Beach tradition.
The 2013 Queen and courts kidnapped the 2014 Queens and courts in their PJ’s blind folded.
“We ended the morning…yes morning at 2:30 a.m. at Harbor House Cafe in Sunset Beach,” said Rosie Ritchie, pageant director. “A great time was had by all.
Ritchie’s daughter, Riley Ritchie and Miss Seal Beach Jessica Jenkins headed up the mission.
Some of the girls were getting home just before the sun began to peak at the brand new Saturday. It was almost time for Phase 2.
At 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 22, the young women and girls who participated in the Miss Seal Beach Pageant assembled in Seal Beach’s main beach parking lot. They were being treated to a free surfing lesson by M&M Surf School, which had sponsored Celeste Infante as a contestant in the pageant.
Infante has been an intern for M&M Surfing School. Ironically, she was not able to surf with the other girls that Saturday, choosing instead to help out in getting the others prepared to enter the ocean.
“She had loaned her personal surfboard to her roommate and decided she did not want to ride another board,” said Michael Pless, founder of M&M Surf School.
A mostly sleepless but otherwise resilient Rosie Ritchie was there to chaperone “her girls” as they changed into the wetsuits the surf school provided.
Some of the girls, such as this year’s Miss Seal Beach Clare Draskovich have grown up surfing. For others, it was their first time trying to learn surfing. Thanks to the expertise of the M&M Surfing School staff, all of the kids were able to stand up and ride a wave toward the sandy beach.
After the surfing lesson, it was time to celebrate their bravery in the face of the challenge they had undertaken – not to mention trying surf. They adjourned to the patio of O’Malley’s on Main in Seal Beach for a sponsored lunch.
Following the lunch the kids got a taste of the year ahead as they meandered down to the Seal Beach pier where the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce was holding its 2014 Health Expo. It was face time … photographs with silly people and smiles at strangers.
The “Court” is in session.
